Sports · Motorsport · 1 hr ago
Team 18 says fuel software fault caused Bathurst 1000 stoppage
Team 18 says a fault in its fuel strategy software caused its car to receive too little fuel before the end of the Bathurst 1000.
The car, driven by Anton De Pasquale with Lee Holdsworth, ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading.
Brodie Kostecki passed De Pasquale and won the race with Todd Hazelwood.
Team 18 says it has fixed the software issue.
Team owner Schwerkolt says the team accepts responsibility, but no staff member will lose their job because the mistake was a team responsibility.
The failure drew criticism, and Schwerkolt also objected to personal attacks against team members online.
Team 18 will next compete at the Gold Coast 500 on October 23–25, as it begins its Supercars Finals Series campaign.
Team 18 said a fault in its fuel strategy software caused its car to run out of fuel on the final lap of the Bathurst 1000.
The stoppage cost Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth a chance to win while they were leading.
Team 18 said the software issue has been resolved and no staff member will lose their position.
Team owner Charlie Schwerkolt said the mistake was the responsibility of the team, not one individual.
The team said it would focus on the Supercars Finals Series event on the Gold Coast next week.
- Who
- Team 18, including driver Anton De Pasquale and co-driver Lee Holdsworth.
- What
- A fuel strategy software fault led to the car running out of fuel on the final lap of the Bathurst 1000.
- When
- On the final lap of the Bathurst 1000; Team 18 announced the investigation findings on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- The Bathurst 1000 at Bathurst, Australia.
- Why
- The software caused the final fuel fill to be less than the amount needed to finish the race.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Anton De Pasquale’s car ran out of fuel while leading, and Brodie Kostecki passed him to win.
Team 18 said an investigation had traced the underfill to its fuel strategy software and that the issue had been resolved.
The Repco Supercars Championship was scheduled to return on the streets of Surfers Paradise for the Gold Coast 500.
- Car
- No. 18 DeWalt Racing Chevrolet Camaro
- Fuel fault
- Final fuel fill was below the amount required to finish the race
- Drivers
- Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth
- Race winner
- Brodie Kostecki, with Todd Hazelwood
- Next event
- Gold Coast 500, October 23–25
What people are saying
The issue has been resolved.
This was a team responsibility. No single individual is to blame, and no one is being relieved of their position.
We win as a team, and we lose as a team. On Sunday we lost as a team, but we will learn and grow from that.
Sources
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